TV Review: Comedy Central Presents Rob Riggle

On Friday, March 5, Comedy Central will present a half-hour of stand-up comedy with Rob Riggle. Those familiar with The Daily Show have seen Riggle, who reliably contributes funny bits and pieces.

While Riggle amusingly begins by sizing up the audience, pointing out “we would do it” to some candidates and a gagging reaction (and worse) to others, his shtick quickly degrades to “funny flatulence.” If you find flatulence to be hilarious, you will enjoy Comedy Central Presents Rob Riggle. I think it stinks.

One of Riggle’s first jokes is what seems to be an obligatory bit about Obama and O.J. Simpson. A number of stand-up comedians include something along the lines of “Everyone’s happy now, the African-Americans got a black president and white Americans got O.J. Simpson in jail.” Okay. Haha. Very funny. Enough already. Have we really listened to that one for over a year?

Riggle informs us that “the whole world is going to hell,” which we already knew, and provides details that are altogether too… well… rich in detail. He illuminates female audience members with a lesson on men’s lavatories in football stadiums. He lovingly describes exactly how revoltingly disgusting they are. Riggle is apparently unaware how revoltingly disgusting the ladies’ facilities in stadiums are. (The last time I was in one—no lie—there was an inch of water on the floor, and it was erupting from one of the toilets. I went outside and threw up in a garbage can. Really.) Riggle does effectively create a precautionary picture for anyone even considering using the men’s room, but it’s not exactly riotously funny.

Riggle makes a number of valid observations; my favorite was “My wife thinks I’m an idiot… I don’t give her a reason not to.” He professes to dislike old people and claims the elderly “are out to destroy us.” That bit was the highlight of his set. His description of a flight from LaGuardia to Las Vegas in which he is surrounded by Long Island riffraff (to be polite) lacks laughs. In fact, the whole performance lacks energy and was a large disappointment.

Riggle ends his routine with the first draft of his Academy Award acceptance speech, which is, again, not all that funny. Good comedy makes you think; most of Riggle’s doesn’t even pause in short-term memory.

Miss Bob, I tracked this down after Tricia Weight’s comment today at Big Tent. She’s right! This is one of the best reviews ever! Color me as a writer green with envy. But count me lucky to have finally caught up with this, thanks to Tricia. And, of course, most thanks to you for having written it!